Voip Demystified

Chapter 1

VoIP Demystified

Abstract VoIP tools come in many configurations and have been applied with great diversity in libraries. This chapter outlines the technical foundation and adoption patterns of online voice and video calling, and explores how VoIP provides insight into the library technology cycle on a broader scale.

Why VoIP? In a 2007 Librarian in Black post, Sarah Houghton-Jan described Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as “not a really sexy technology.”1 In terms of the bleeding-edge con- TechnologyLibrary Reports cepts Library Technology Reports tends to focus on, I’d have to agree. Web voice and video are old news: Skype’s international popularity is established, voice and video chat proliferate in social media, embedded webcams are com- monplace, and many organizations have made the transi- tion to IP phones in offices and classrooms. The rise of mobile technology is another nail in VoIP’s nonsexy coffin: international cell subscriptions continue to skyrocket and have already far outstripped landline and Web phones.2 www.alatechsource.org Bearing this in mind, you might be wondering why I’ve chosen VoIP as the subject of this report. When Web calling tools began to emerge several years ago, I took on the de facto role of video reference evangelist. I predicted that applications like Skype could transform how librar- ians provided public services over the Web. I imagined video consultations and kiosks that could increase service point efficiency and humanize the virtual reference July 2010 experience. When I worked at Ohio University between 2006 and 2008, my colleagues and I built an interest- Figure 1 ing, innovative, and frequently hilarious proof-of-concept Hilarity ensues.

5 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth video kiosk using Skype and a couple of webcams (figure 1). After about two highly instructive years of opera- tion, we (they, actually—by this time I had relocated to California) shut the kiosk down.

The Library Hype Cycle Why did I have such high hopes for video reference, which I will show to be among lowest impact applications of VoIP that have come to pass? A partial answer is that I was caught up in the overenthusiasm that often accompanies the innovation process, otherwise known as “hype cycle” Figure 2 thinking. When a new tool catches Representation of the Hype Cycle (Wikimedia Commons). the eye of trend watchers, it initiates an arc of blog and tweet prognosti- cation that spurs people and organizations to adopt the Learning to Fail tool. Some expectations pan out while others don’t, and lessons are learned and (hopefully) shared in the pro- Piloting Web voice and video in libraries personally taught cess. This progression from hype to hope to reality is me an important lesson about working with technology: often bound up in library technology adoption. snafus are going to occur, and a concept rarely performs Developed by Gartner Research, the hype cycle (more to expectations. This reality is not often addressed in the of a curve, really) describes the rise and fall trajectory discourse of our field—in presentations I have given on shared by many emerging technologies, from Second Life the video kiosk, the audience has invariably been sur- to the iPad (figure 2).3 It begins with a technology trigger prised when I have spoken about our difficulties with can- that creates an upswing of media and user interest leading dor. Challenges in experimental initiatives are inevitable, to a peak of inflated expectations, after which a trough but can be guided by planning and made didactic through of disillusionment occurs as expectations are not met or reflection. The kiosk program taught me to try and under- the shine simply wears off. This is followed by a gradual stand my users at least as well as I understand the appli- slope of enlightenment where more modest assessments cation itself, to learn from setbacks in order to address are made, culminating in a plateau of productivity as the problems, and cultivate a perspective that is simultane- lasting utility of a tool is determined. ously positive and critical. This education did not occur July 2010 July Instead of inflating expectations around the next big in one fell swoop. Rather, it accumulated over the kind of thing, this LTR examines how a once-hyped technology time that is sorely lacking in the day-to-day whirlwind, the eventually reached its plateau of productivity. In other very condition that makes taking a tool at face value so words, it’s not in spite of the shine being off of VoIP that tempting in the first place. I’m taking it on, but because of it. Unlike many up-and- coming tools, VoIP has longevity. Over the last decade, it has come to facilitate much of the one-to-one, one-to- A Lesson in Layers www.alatechsource.org many, and many-to-many voice and video communication Successful technology development takes depth of per- that happens over the Web, from Vonage to voice chat, spective. In this issue, I explore VoIP in the three suc- gaming consoles to Web meeting tools. Not only has VoIP cessive layers of utility, application, and insight, each of underpinned a massive paradigm shift in how people com- which examines a critical stage in the process. municate in “fixed” locations, it is beginning to enable free calling and messaging on smartphones and handheld Layer 1: Utility devices. Examining VoIP’s library applications—some dis- mal failures, others raging successes—can inform nascent Behind every application and platform are practical affor- Web voice and video projects as well as innovation in dances that translate to library implementations. Skype is Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology other areas. the tip of the VoIP iceberg, and in the first two chapters

6 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth You Asked for It I have written this LTR for many reasons, but primarily in response to persistent curiosity about VoIP tools in library con- texts: people find my blog (info-mational) several times a day by searching for “Skype in libraries” or “video reference” (figure 3). I also wanted to evaluate the assumptions I once made about Web voice and video, and carry my experience with this specific platform through productivity instead of ditching out at inflated Figure 3 expectations. This amounts to a personal Blog search terms. exercise in technology literacy, an opportunity to learn deeply about the communication tools I not only take for granted I run the gamut of Web calling and conferencing options, in my working and personal life, but that I once held in functionality, and costs: irrationally high regard. Think of this report as a long-range view on how to • Chapter 1: VoIP Demystified brace for impact in a culture of perpetual beta. Examining • Chapter 2: IP Phones, Software VoIP, and Integrated a platform that has for years paradoxically promised, deliv- and Mobile VoIP ered, and disappointed is an excellent way to identify stra- tegic, reality-based, and resource-conscious local decisions. I look critically and creatively at technology “success” and Layer 2: Application “failure” in order to develop lasting local best practices Those using Web voice and video in public services, edu- for pilots and proof-of-concept projects. In VoIP’s library cation, and professional communication become familiar lifespan there is evidence of how we anticipate change and with the capabilities and quirks of the technology. This adapt to the complex information landscape. By the end familiarity translates to best practices for the rest of us. of chapter 7 end you may still not find web calling particu- The next two chapters examine how Web voice and video larly sexy, but you should be able to determine whether have been put to work throughout the field: or not one of its applications (or something else entirely, for that matter) can be used to achieve cost reduction, • Chapter 3: VoIP in Professional Communication, Col- productivity, service, or collaboration goals. Now, down

laboration, and Development to business. TechnologyLibrary Reports • Chapter 4: VoIP in Reference, User Services, and Instruction Unequal Access: Phone and Broadband Layer 3: Insight Personal telephones are almost ubiquitous in the United It is equally (if not more) instructive to look at where Web States. A 2010 FCC report estimated that 95 percent or calling has proven itself not useful along the library hype more of U.S. residents have some type of subscription cycle. Chapters 5 and 6 critically examine the OU kiosk phone service, a number that is unlikely to decline in pilot and the video reference experience. In an era of con- coming years.4 How people use their phones is changing www.alatechsource.org stant innovation, VoIP’s adaptable longevity also merits dramatically, however. The demographics of analog, VoIP, closer examination. Chapter 7 considers shifting user and cellular phone use are complex: a growing number of communication and connectivity paradigms, and closes younger, mobile-only consumers are causing a decline in with an analysis of the implications of knowledge sharing fixed-location service, while many legacy home subscrib- for emerging technology development. ers are switching to subscription IP phones. Age is by no means the only factor: there are many areas in the United • Chapter 5: Video Kiosk as Hype Cycle States where analog service is the only option or where July 2010 • Chapter 6: Lessons for Library Innovation other access barriers exist.5 I encountered this myself • Chapter 7: Knowledge Sharing and the Next-Genera- while living in rural Ohio—My house had no cellular tion Network reception and exorbitant broadband satellite fees. Having

7 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth ditched landline for cell half a decade before, this forced VoIP Defined me to forego home Web access and grudgingly subscribe to an analog phone service for the first time in years. Internet protocols are standardized sets of rules that gov- This experience is still quite common. Due to Web- ern the transfer of information across networks. Voice based voice and video telephony’s reliance on high-speed over Internet Protocol specifies how real-time audio trav- Internet, it is limited largely to those with access to els between Web-enabled devices: by breaking data into developed and relatively affordable broadband networks.6 pieces called “packets” that are queued, routed, and reas- Broadband (or high-speed) Internet is a DSL, fiber-optic, sembled at a destination. When network traffic is high cable, power line, satellite, or wireless connection that or connections are slow, packets can be held up or lost, transmits data at greater than 200 Kilobits per second, causing the slight to severe delay, echo, or “jitter” one with speeds reaching to 100 Mbps or more in many Asian sometimes experiences in Web calls. and European nations, where network speed and coverage VoIP’s extensibility, or its capacity for ongoing adap- often far exceeds the U.S.7 While increasingly deployed to tation, is one of its core features. According to one author, urban businesses and institutions, individual high-speed “contrary to the traditional telephone system (where the subscriptions in rural and urban areas are far less ubiqui- end devices are dumb), VoIP architecture pushes intel- tous within the United States than phone subscriptions. ligence towards the end devices (i.e., PCs, IP phones, As of 2009, fully one third of the U.S. population (not to etc.) giving the opportunity to create many new services mention billions internationally) still did not have home that could not be envisaged using traditional phone sys- broadband. While smartphone use is spreading and initia- tems.”10 Web calling services have continually conformed tives like Google Fiber and the National Broadband Plan to changing technology, moving from dial-up to broad- seek to give 100 million American homes 100 Mbps access band to third-generation (3G) cellular networks, and onto by 2020, VoIP use mirrors the current access divide.8 new devices and delivery methods.

Laying the Groundwork Three Types of VoIP When I started my research, I sent messages to several Many of the products I describe are feature-rich and interop- e-mail lists asking for examples of VoIP use in libraries. erable, meaning that they can call not only each other but Among the first comments I received was this observation also landlines and cellular phones. Most also incorporate from OhioLINK’s Peter Murray: video and other data functions like text messaging and chat to the extent that almost none are actually limited One of the things that comes to mind is the need to to voice communications. Multimedia VoIP tools are often distinguish between various kinds of VoIP. By way described as enabling “unified” or “rich” communications, of example, I’m currently using two “VoIP” systems which can also exacerbate the format confusion that Peter in my office. One is my desk phone—a Cisco-supplied described above. Three main categories of VoIP help distin- “IP Phone” that is in effect indistinguishable from my guish its many applications. previous “hard line” phone. The other is a “software phone”—Skype on my laptop. Both have a “phone July 2010 July IP Phones number” reachable by any phone, and the person calling probably does not know they are getting to me IP phones most closely resemble traditional phones. by VoIP. One is fairly fixed in location (it is only usable Although carrier VoIP services like Vonage are often on my desk) while the other is portable (where ever presented as an alternative to landlines, the two are not my laptop has a network connection). One has chat mutually exclusive. VoIP was first used over dial-up, and and file sharing while the other does not.9 IP phones frequently rely on broadband wires or cables, effectively creating a newer generation of landline. The www.alatechsource.org Much obliged, Peter, for describing the goal of what difference is in the type of line—whereas the public- I previously described as “Layer 1: Utility.” VoIP is the switched telephone network (hereafter referred to as the foundation of an ever-expanding array of communication PSTN—think switchboards as in figure 4) used copper tools. Chances are excellent that you are already a VoIP wire, IP phones use broadband lines via fiber optic or user, whether you realize it or not—if you attend webinars, DSL. IP phones can also operate via satellite, WiMax, or talk overseas, or basically ever use any phone for any rea- other high-speed connection. son, this technology is already a part of your life. In the remainder of this chapter I provide an overview of how Software VoIP VoIP works and outline its main three types (IP phones,

Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology software VoIP, and integrated and mobile VoIP), and in The best-known type of VoIP services are software the next chapter I examine each in detail. VoIP. This category describes online free calling and

8 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth conferencing tools like Skype. In addition to voice calling, many provide video, multiparty conferencing, and text chat as well as screen sharing and other features. While Skype is the dominant service, competitors like VoxOx, Jajah, and Google Voice have growing subscriber bases and are poised to gain a larger marketshare in coming years. VoIP also supports Web conferencing tools like Dimdim and ooVoo on the free or open source side, and Adobe Connect, Elluminate, and WebEx on the subscription side.

Integrated and Mobile VoIP Voice and video are already built- in features of many platforms and gadgets, including massively multi- player online games (MMOGs) like Figure 4 World of Warcraft, virtual worlds like Switchboard operators, circa 1943. Second Life, and social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. Such features also fuel conven- equipped with integrated webcams, microphones, and tional and unconventional Internet dating and communi- speakers. This makes their application as rich communica- cation services like ChatRoulette and are being integrated tion and content-creation devices more viable and virtual into media products like HDTVs. Mobile VoIP is also on collaboration, participation, and learning more accessible. the rise, affording free or inexpensive calling and texting over smartphones and handheld wireless devices.11 Quality, Stability, and Security

Rates of Adoption Traditional phones, despite their lack of multimedia features, have long provided clear sound, reliable service, It is challenging to quantify the true scale of VoIP adop- and relative security. Common concerns among VoIP

tion. It is safe to say that it is widely viewed as the ascen- users are quality of service (QoS), security, and the under- TechnologyLibrary Reports dant landline or fixed-location option, in tandem with lying stability of a communication system that is depen- cellular telephony for mobile communication and con- dent on both a power grid and data network. Among VoIP nectivity—only traditional telephony is in decline.12 Global types these differ greatly: IP phones are considered less subscriptions to IP phone services like Vonage reached susceptible to hacking and spamming because they can 100 million in 2009—22 million in the United States be centrally protected like other types of Web services. alone—with VoIP subscriptions capturing up to 38 percent Furthermore, IP phones don’t follow the individual user of the fixed-line market in Web-advanced countries such account archetype that makes software and mobile VoIP as France and South Korea.13 According to a 2009 ECAR providers like Skype widely viewed as privacy and secu-

study, VoIP phones are currently in active use or planned rity risks and bandwidth monopolizers. www.alatechsource.org for implementation by 90 percent of American college and While it lags behind quality standards set decades university campuses.14 ago by analog phones, overall VoIP voice quality contin- These figures do not even take into account Skype, ues to improve.17 QoS issues affecting VoIP result from which, by 2009, boasted a staggering 443 million regis- the underlying instability of networked versus dedicated, tered users and accounted for 8 percent of all interna- one-to-one communication: tional calls.15 Skype’s popularity has raised awareness of Web calling and video communication, as media figures • delay—also known as latency, or time gaps caused by July 2010 like Oprah strike high-profile deals to host guests via slow networks video call and media outlets like CNN use it for in-field • echo—users hearing their words repeated back to reporting.16 The multimedia capability of computers is them, often caused by microphones picking up also improving, as laptops, notebooks, and desktops come speaker noise

9 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth • jitter—audio distortion due to data packets arriving Benkler et al., Next Generation Connectivity: A Review erratically at their destination, caused again by slow of Broadband Internet Transitions and Policy from or inconsistent network speeds around the World, (Cambridge, MA: Berkman Center for • packet loss—the complete loss of packets of trans- Internet and Society, Harvard University, 2010), http:// cyber.law.harvard.edu/pubrelease/broadband (accessed mitted data, resulting in choppy and incomplete call March 11, 2010). quality 9. Peter Murray, “Re: Seeking Examples of Web-Based Voice or Video Calling (VoIP) in Libraries,” e-mail to As next-generation broadband becomes more perva- Library and Information Technology Association List sive, most of these issues will gradually improve and can (LITA-L), Dec. 15, 2009, http://lists.ala.org/sympa/arc/ already be addressed by shoring up speed, stability, and lita-l/2009-12/msg00063.html (accessed March 1, 2010). consistency. In general, the faster and more reliable the 10. Samont Hengar, “Don’t Let VoIP Become a Nuisance network, the higher the quality of service—all types of for Its Subscribers,” in VoIP Handbook: Applications, VoIP are currently more stable than wired connections, Technologies, Reliability, and Security, ed. Syed Ahson which tend to have stronger bandwidth and fewer net- and Mohammad Ilyas (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009), work interruptions than wireless. 420. 11. Kevin J. O’Brien, “Skype in a Struggle to Be Heard on Mobile Phones,” New York Times, Feb. 17, 2010, www .nytimes.com/2010/02/18/technology/18voip.html Notes (accessed March 5, 2010). 12. Richard Watson, Fixed/Mobile Convergence and 1. Sarah Houghton-Jan, “VoIP at Libraries,” Librarian in Beyond: Unbounded Mobile Communications Black, June 19, 2007, http://librarianinblack.net/librarian (Burlington, MA: Newnes, 2009). inblack/2007/06/voip_at_librari.html (accessed Jan. 12, 13. Patrick Barnard, “Report: Global VoIP Subscriptions to 2010). Reach 100 Million Mark,” TMCnet, Feb. 24, 2010, www 2. International Telecommunication Union, Measuring .tmcnet.com/channels/pbx-systems/articles/76688 the Information Society: The ICT Development Index -report-global-voip-subscriptions-reach-100-million-mark (Geneva, Switzerland: International Telecommunication .htm (accessed March 1, 2010). Union, 2009), 3. 14. Judith A. Pirani and Mark C. Sheehan, Spreading the 3. Jackie Fenn and Mark Raskino, Mastering the Hype Word: Messaging and Communications in Higher Cycle: How to Choose the Right Innovation at the Right Education—Key Findings (Boulder, CO: Educause Center for Applied Research, 2009), www.educause.edu/ Time. (Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2008). Resources/SpreadingtheWordMessagingandCo/168955 4. Dharma Dailey et al., Broadband Adoption in Low- (accessed Feb. 20, 2010). Income Communities (Brooklyn, NY: Social Science 15. Ebay, “Presentation on Q1 2009 Earning Report,” Research Council, 2010), 5. www.ssrc.org/publications/ SlideShare, April 22, 2009, slide 16, www.slideshare.net/ view/1EB76F62-C720-DF11-9D32-001CC477EC70 earningreport/presentation-on-q1-2009-earning-report (accessed March 1, 2010). -of-ebay-inc (accessed Feb. 15, 2010). 5. Ibid., 5–6. 16. Jim Courtney, “CNN Joins Oprah; Puts Skype in the 6. John B. Horrigan, Broadband Adoption and User in Picture,” Skype Journal, March 13, 2008, http://skype July 2010 July America, OBI Working Paper Series No. 1 (Washington, journal.com/blog/2008/03/cnn_joins_oprah_puts_ DC: Federal Communications Commission, 2010), 28–80. skype_in.html (accessed Feb. 3, 2010). http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/ 17. Swampa Gokhale and JiJun Lu, “QoS Monitoring of DOC-296442A1.pdf (accessed March 1, 2010). Voice-over-IP Services,” in VoIP Handbook: Applications, 7. Federal Communications Commission, “What Is Broad- Technologies, Reliability, and Security, ed. Syed Ahson band?” www.fcc.gov/cgb/broadband.html (accessed and Mohammad Ilyas (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009), March 10, 2010). 101–120. 8. The National Broadband Plan: Connecting America, www.alatechsource.org www.broadband.gov (accessed March 20, 2010); Yochai Library Technology ReportsLibrary Technology

10 Hope, Hype, and VoIP: Riding the Library Technology Cycle Char Booth